yelled curses and insults at each other while trying to kill each other and strangely this post-modern technology of social media is bringing us back in some ways to that place. >> and given the arse do you fe what could grow in to a regional conflict? >> well, that would depend on whether there's a ground offense and hamas responds. what happens next? in the past, whenever there's been a skirmish or a full-scale battle of this nature, at the back of everyone's mind was the knowledge that there was a peace process. that eventually when saner minds prevailed or people ran out of bullets that they could return to a peace process. there is no peace process now and there hasn't been one for several years so when the wise council prevails, when somebody runs out of ammunition, where do they go next? there's the great uncertainty that makes this different. >> this conflict goes back generations but what is it about why now? israel felt compelled to assassinate the hamas military leader and carry on with these attacks. >> well, you don't assassinate a military leader of hamas, somebody who spends big pa